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It’s almost like the FBI is working in reverse. Notorious confessed serial killer Israel Keyes — who had Texas ties — is not only no longer on the loose, he’s dead after committing suicide last year in his Alaska jail cell.

But his case remains open and the bureau has taken the unusual — some might say unprecedented — step of releasing video of Keyes’ detailed jailhouse interviews on the FBI website in an attempt to get the public’s help locating other potential victims.

“That fact that Keyes is dead makes it more difficult for us,” FBI Special Agent Joelene Goeden said in the release, “but the investigation absolutely continues.”

The Dallas Morning News wrote a front page story about the 34-year-old Keyes in February, detailing much of the case against him including how he meticulously planned his killings and even left “murder kits” around the country to help him carry out the crimes. Through a series of interviews while in custody, the cagey Keyes gave authorities information about slayings he said he committed, cases authorities have acknowledged likely never would have been solved, or even known about, without Keyes’ admissions.

Authorities believe Keyes’ roaming homicidal rampage lasted from 2001 and 2012, and stretched from border to border and coast to coast. According a press release on Keys issued today by the Dallas FBI office, “investigators believe Keyes may be responsible for a homicide in Texas or a surrounding state” when he came through North Texas in February 2012. They do know that Keyes set fire to a home in Aledo on Feb. 16, 2012 and later robbed a bank in Azle. No one was hurt in either of those crimes.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

Update at 3:52 p.m.: According to the state’s witness list submitted by Dallas County First Assistant Criminal District Attorney Heath Harris on Thursday, six former and current Dallas Cowboys could take the stand if and when Josh Brent goes to trial.

Cornerback Orlando Scandrick and safeties Danny McCray and Barry Church are on the list, among dozens of Irving police officers and rescue workers Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officials and other authorities and witnesses. Also on the list: Mike Jenkins, the cornerback who signed with Oakland in April; Gerald Sensabaugh, the safety who retired in May; and Lawrence Vickers, the fullback release just last week.

The entire witness list is posted below.

Original item posted at 10:33 a.m.: A state district judge Friday placed “limited restrictions” on the pre-trial comments the lawyers in the intoxication manslaughter case of former Dallas Cowboys lineman Josh Brent can make.

Judge Robert Burns III made the oral ruling during a six-minute hearing in his courtroom that was attended by Brent, who retired from the Cowboys Thursday.

Burns issued the order in response to a defense motion after Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins made some comments about the case during a recent radio interview. Defense attorney, George Milner, contended in his motion that that Watkins’ comments were “highly prejudicial” and might impact the case against Brent.

The 25-year-old Brent is accused of driving drunk and crashing his car in December, which led to the death of his best friend and Cowboys teammate, Jerry Brown Jr. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted.

In his motion, Milner asked the judge to order defense attorneys and prosecutors to comply with a specific rule in the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct that deals with what lawyers can say before a trial. The judge, who used much of the hearing to criticize what he labeled as often “inaccurate” reporting on the case by some members of the print media, basically granted Milner’s motion. Prosecutors offered no objection.

“There aren’t any other remedies available to the court to protect the right to a fair trial . . . the court does find that an order restricting pre-trial publicity is required,” Burns said, adding that he would make a written ruling on the matter later Friday or on Monday. The judge said that neither side would be prohibited from speaking to the media but he cautioned them to “not repeat things that may very well not be admissible at trial.”

Watkins, who is scheduled to appear at a hearing Friday related to contempt of court proceedings against him could not be reached for comment. But Heath Harris, his second in command and the lead prosecutor in the Brent case, said prosecutors had no issue with the judge’s ruling and see it as only another step toward Brent’s September 23rd trial date.

“I have no problem with what the judge did today,” Harris said. “We’re ready for this case to go to trial. This is about what the citizens of Dallas County think about intoxication manslaughter.”

Milner said that the judge’s order simply reinforces a rule that’s already on the books. “The only difference is now, it’s enforceable with a contempt of court ruling,” he said. Continue reading →

Staff Writer Monique O. Madan traveled to Hico to cover the funeral of slain Hood County Sheriff’s Sgt. Lance McLean. This is her report:

HICO — A community of mourners from across the state gathered here Tuesday to honor Hood County Sheriff’s Sgt. Lance McLean’s life.

McLean, 38, was shot in the head Friday while responding to a domestic disturbance call in Joshua. He died Saturday at a Fort Worth hospital. The suspect, Ricky Don McCommas, died Friday in a gun battle with police at near Granbury City Hall in which a Granbury police officer, Chad Davis, was wounded.

Hundreds of law enforcement officials from as far away as San Marcos attended McLean’s funeral at Hico’s Tiger Stadium. Family members sat in red chairs in the center of the field as Hood County law enforcement chaplain Jim Knox told stories about McLean while weeping mourners passed around tissue boxes.

The Hood County S.W.A.T unit and Honor Guard carried his casket out of the stadium after family members and friends said their final goodbyes to McLean, who was to be buried in Daffau.

The attorney for accused Cowboys lineman Josh Brent says he plans to file a “modified gag order” in the case after he says Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins made “inappropriate and unethical” remarks about Brent during a recent radio interview.

Defense attorney George Milner said Tuesday that Watkins made the comments last week during an interview with 105.3 The Fan, after Brent was jailed for allegedly violating conditions of his bond. A hearing has been set for July 19th on that matter.

Brent, 25, is charged with intoxication manslaughter in connection with a one-car crash in December that killed his best friend and Cowboys teammate, Jerry Brown Jr. Authorities have said that Brent’s blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit to drive.

Brent was released on $100,000 pending his September trial, but ordered not to use alcohol or drugs. He was jailed last week after a urinalysis showed a high concentration of marijuana in his system indicating a “pattern of successive use.”

Milner said Tuesday that Watkins inappropriately said that Brent was guilty ‘”and needs to go to prison”‘ and that his ‘”drug and alcohol”‘ use led to the death of another person. Milner contends the last statement is inappropriate because Brent is not accused of using drugs the night of the deadly crash.

Watkins could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.

Ethics rules place strict guidelines on what lawyers involved in a case can say about it or about the guilt or innocence of the accused prior to trial.

Milner said that he plans to file a motion Wednesday asking a judge to limit what Watkins — or other prosecutors — can say regarding Brent. Of Watkins, Milner said, “he just needs to shut up” about the case.

Dallas Cowboys lineman Josh Brent is in the Dallas County jail after he apparently tested positive for marijuana last week, violating the terms of his $100,000 bond on an intoxication manslaughter charge.

Brent is charged in connection with a December car crash that killed his best friend and teammate, Jerry Brown Jr. Brent, who was driving the car, had a reported blood alcohol level of .18, more than twice the legal limit of .08.

A hearing was scheduled for July 19 to determine whether Brent’s bond should be declared insufficient after a May urinalysis found levels of marijuana in his system. But Dallas County prosecutors filed an amended motion earlier this week to speed up that process after a June 19 test “indicated the presence of marijuana” in his system again.

“The defendant in this case has been repeatedly warned of the conditions of pre-trial release in this case,” the state’s motion reads. “His continued use of marijuana demonstrates a pattern of conduct in disregard of this court’s authority to properly supervise his pre-trial release.”

A state district judge agreed with the state, declaring Brent’s bond “insufficient for good cause,” clearing the way for his arrest.

Neither Brent nor his attorney, George Milner, could be immediately reached for comment.

A bond revocation hearing scheduled for Friday for Dallas Cowboys lineman Joshua Brent has been postponed until July 19th at the request of the Dallas County District Attorney’s office. First Assistant prosecutor Heath Harris said via email that the delay was because a witness with the lab that tests Brent’s blood was not available Friday and the next date all parties to the case could be available was July 19th.

Harris said the postponement would have no effect on the September 23 scheduled start of Brent’s intoxication manslaughter trial. Brent, 25, is accused of driving drunk – records show his blood alcohol level was 0.18, twice the legal driving limit – in December when he crashed his car in Irving, killing his best friend and Cowboys teammate, Jerry Brown Jr.

Brent was released on $100,000 bond but was ordered not to use alcohol or marijuana while awaiting trial. In May, prosecutors alleged Brent violated those conditions when the alcohol monitor he wears detected an abnormal concentration of alcohol. But authorities could not determine whether Brent has consumed the alcohol or been around it. State District Judge Robert D. Burns III did not revoke Brent’s bond, but did order him to wear an additional alcohol monitor.

The judge also ordered Brent to give a urine sample while he was in court that day. The results of that test apparently showed high concentration of marijuana, prompting prosectors to once again file a motion to revoke Brent’s bond and have him sent to jail until trial.

The motion to revoke states that “the results of the urinalysis indicate that the defendant ingested marijuana within 30 days of the test date and that the findings are not indicative of secondhand exposure.”

Meanwhile, officials with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission say their own report on Brent’s alcohol consumption the night of the crash, including where he obtained the alcohol and whether he got drinks when he was drunk, is close to completion.

Earlier news accounts have indicated Brent and some other, unidentified Cowboys teammates visited and drank at several Dallas-area establishments that night. If the TABC finds that Brent was “overserved” that night, the the agency could launch administrative proceedings to revoke the liquor license of any offending business. It could even pursue criminal charges, if appropriate, but a TABC official said that aspect of the case would likely be left to local authorities.

The official said TABC investigators in North Texas have nearly completed their investigation of the crash, including developing a timeline, and now must submit that report for internal review to TABC headquarters in Austin — perhaps as soon as next week — before the findings are released to the public. There is no timetable or deadline for when any of those actions might take place however, the official said.

Meanwhile, Brent remains on the Cowboys roster. Although he was spotted around the team’s Valley Ranch headquarters periodically during the spring, he did not take part in its organized team activities, or OTAs, held in May.

The Dallas Police Department is accepting applications for anyone interested in attending a citizens’ police academy in which all courses will be taught in Spanish. The academy will run for 10 consecutive weeks beginning August 29. Most classes will be held at the Dallas police academy on Thursday evenings, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Applicants must be at least 21 years old, possess a government-issued identification card such as a Texas driver’s license or identification card, a Mexican Matricula Consular card, or similar form of identification. They must also pass a background check. Applications may be picked up at the Northwest patrol station, 9801 Harry Hines Boulevard, or at the information desk of the Jack Evans headquarters building, 1400 South Lamar Street. The deadline for applying is Aug. 12.

A man who served 16 years in prison for sexual assault of a child after the victim lied to him about her age, was released from prison Thursday. Juan Carlos Garcia, 34, was sentenced in 1997 to 30 years in prison for assaulting a 12-year-old girl when he was an 18-year-old junior at Irving High School.

But the girl, Cassandra Morlock, had lied to Garcia when she met him, telling him that she was 17. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on June 5 ordered a new sentencing hearing for Garcia. But Tuesday, the Dallas County District Attorney’s office asked a state district judge to dismiss the charges against Garcia altogether based on the victim’s wishes, Garcia’s lack of a prior criminal record and that he was “excessively sentenced.”

Though free, Garcia is not exonerated nor was he wrongly imprisoned because the crime did occur. Morlock is now 28 and married. She has said she is sorry for lying to Garcia and asked that her name be published. Her father, Anthony Morlock, has offered to give Garcia a job and let him live with him to get back on his feet.

In addition, Johnson also announced an immediate expansion of the department’s random drug testing program to include all employees.

Johnson fired officer Thomas Kantzos, who has been charged by federal authorities with using a police computer to tip off a steroids dealer. Kantzos, who was arrested Tuesday, is free on his own recognizance.

Another Arlington officer, Craig Hermans, remains on administrative leave in connection with the case. A third officer, David Vo, killed himself earlier this week after his arrest last weekend on the same case.

“Thomas Kantzos violated the public trust,” Kohnson said Thursday during a news conference at police headquarters. “For this reason I have terminated Mr. Kantzos employment with the city of Arlington.”

Johnson also issued a warning to any other Arlington officers who might be using illegal steroids, stating flatly that any such employee “will be terminated.”

Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson today plans to discuss the ongoing federal steroids investigation involving some members of his department. One officer, Thomas Kantzos, has been arrested on federal charges of buying performance-enhancing drugs and using a police computer to warn his dealer about police activity. He is on administrative leave.

Another officer, Craig Hermans, has been question in connection with the case and is also on administrative leave. A third officer, David Vo, killed himself earlier this week after his arrest last weekend for his involvement with the case.